It's official: Government shutdown becomes the longest in history

The partial government shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, entered its 22nd day early Saturday, making it the longest in history. The previous longest shutdown on record lasted from Dec. 5, 1995, to Jan. 6, 1996, when Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Democratic President Bill Clinton faced off over taxes. On Friday, some 800,000 federal workers missed their first paycheck since the shutdown began. The shutdown is the result of an impasse between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over funding for a barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border. Negotiations stalled again this week after Trump abruptly left a White House meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The president traveled to Texas Thursday to review the situation at the border.

France prepares for revived anti-government protests

Authorities in France have deployed 80,000 security forces nationwide for a ninth straight weekend of anti-government protests. The movement, which waned over the holidays, appears to be resurging despite President Emmanuel Macron’s promises of billions of euros in tax relief and an upcoming “national debate” to address demonstrators’ concerns. Online groups mounted calls through the week for actions in Bourges, a provincial capital with a renowned Gothic cathedral and picturesque wood-framed houses, and the suburban Paris business district of La Defense. But authorities warned that could be a ploy to draw police away from key sites in the capital, which epitomizes the power and wealth that’s the target of the provincially driven protest movement. Protesters want deeper changes to France’s economy and politics, seen as favoring the rich.